Inky T O D - Inks You Would Buy For A New Fpner.

[amberleadavis]

Noodler's Blue eel.

Noodler's Polar black.

[SnorriRafn]

Lamy Blue or Lamy black in the 50 ml bottle. Not because it is the best ink. (I like the black better than the blue) But because it comes in a good sturdy bottle that won't tip over, is actually pretty nice ink and the roll of blotter paper makes everything really simple and easy.

[ac12]

Depending on the pen, if a wet or dry or medium flow pen.

 

A dry pen would be:

Waterman; blue, black, turquoise, green and red.

 

A wet pen would be:

Sheaffer; blue, black, turquoise, green and red.

Pelikan; blue, black, red, green

 

The logic is the other colors will hopefully get the recipient to try other colors than the standard blue and black. They may take years to use the other colors, but it is there to be tempting and used. Even in a boring professional environment, the other colors are good for use as note colors where they stand out from the standard colors.

And of course at Christmas, green and red inks for the Christmas cards

It took me DECADES to break out of the black/blue color scheme.

 

But the above is my current bottle ink bias.

 

For a newbie. I would stick to cartridges:

- blue or black, and red.

And maybe a bottle of blue or black ink, if they want to venture into using bottle ink.

 

I recently did this for a good friends major birthday; pen + 4 packs of black cartridge ink.

- I received cards from my friend in black ink, so I knew to give her black ink.

For my brother and sister and their spouses; pen + 2 packs of blue cartridge ink.

- I asked my sister and her husband what color ink, and they told me blue.

 

But with a single pen you can't do much in terms of alternative ink colors. For that you need at least a 2nd pen, so the 1st pen can stay inked with their standard ink. Hence my gifts of a single pen only came with one color of ink.

Edited May 29, 2014 by ac12

[william2001]

Sorry for being bias, but I would buy all Waterman because they are the coolest inks ever! (In my opinion)

[Algester]

in my place... we only can select a few options Lamy, Sheaffer, Parker, Cross LOL until a new company settled in and gave us J.Herbin, Pelikan, Sailor and Platinum so 50 USD

J.Herbin Perle Noire

I'd go for standard black because everyone known we still need blacks for legal papers

[ac12]

 

 

in my place... we only can select a few options Lamy, Sheaffer, Parker, Cross LOL until a new company settled in and gave us J.Herbin, Pelikan, Sailor and Platinum so 50 USD

J.Herbin Perle Noire

I'd go for standard black because everyone known we still need blacks for legal papers

 

I found the color for legal papers can vary, some places want BLACK other places want BLUE.

I've taken to carrying both black and blue ink pens with me when I go to sign papers, cuz I don't know what color they will tell me to sign in.

[Buzz_130]

Many have looked at colors to define their choices; I'll offer geography as a way of introducing different inks with bottles that they'll want to display and inks they'll want to write with a future collection of pens.

 

Japan: Iroshizuku Kon-Peki or Syo-ro -- beautiful bottle and well-behaved ink.

Europe: Mont Blanc Midnight Blue -- easy on the eyes and very nice bottle; could be replaced with Visconti Blue for a deeper blue and another unique bottle.

USA: Noodler's 54th Massachusetts -- filled to the top big bottle of a unique color or possibly replaced with Heart of Darkness if looking for black (and an even bigger bottle)

 

Buzz

[Aurko]

I would probably give a 350 mL bottle of Pilot Blue Black from engeika ($13 only! Assuming you get enough stuff for yourself to get free shipping), Sheaffer Skrip Red, and for something a little different, Private Reserve Chocolat, and/or Rohrer and Klingner Scabiosa.

 

Total should be

Pilot BB: 13

Sheaffer: 10

PR: 11

AND/OR

R&K: 14

 

Total: $34-$48 plus shipping and handling.

 

EDIT: I did not realize I was necroposting. I have over 40 tabs open at a time and some of them are really old. . .

Edited January 1, 2015 by Aurko

[kkshadow]

I would probably give a 350 mL bottle of Pilot Blue Black from engeika ($13 only! Assuming you get enough stuff for yourself to get free shipping), Sheaffer Skrip Red, and for something a little different, Private Reserve Chocolat, and/or Rohrer and Klingner Scabiosa.

 

Total should be

Pilot BB: 13

Sheaffer: 10

PR: 11

AND/OR

R&K: 14

 

Total: $34-$48 plus shipping and handling.

 

EDIT: I did not realize I was necroposting. I have over 40 tabs open at a time and some of them are really old. . .

 

Necroposting! Love it. We've all been there!

[visvamitra]

But we may always play a little necromancer, especially when the posts are fun

 

I would say - let's expand people's horizons and give them some intriguing colors, for a girl:

 

Rose Cyclamen - J. Herbin

Black Swan in English Roses - Noodler's

Pigeon Blue - De Atramentis

 

and we still have like 20 $ in the pocket for -say - Stipula Borgogna Red

 

For a serious boy

 

Lie de The - J. Herbin

Squeteague - Noodler's

Stone Grey - Graf von Faber Castell

[Algester]

Lamy black... because sometimes you seriously need a boring black ink

J. Herbin Rouge Hematite cause pretty...

[amberleadavis]

The hematite is super pretty. You don't think it would be too high maintenance for a new user?

[Algester]

The hematite is super pretty. You don't think it would be too high maintenance for a new user?

for me I don't think but of course if the person is OCD I won't give it instead maybe something like Diamine Tchaikovsky or Handel...

[The Blue Knight]

Qunk blue, probably the one ink most people start with. It's quite boring however it's a simple well behaved ink nearly everyone starts with.

[Rocket1]

I'd second quink blue, diamine prussian blue and herbin rose cyclamen are my picks.

[Runnin_Ute]

Pelikan 4001 Blue Black (in lieu of this perhaps Diamine Blue Black)

Diamine Sherwood Green

Noodler's Apache Sunset

Diamine Steel Blue

 

 

My first two inks were

Levenger Cobalt Blue and Levenger Raven Black.

That covers the serious/professional side unless you replace one of them with a Blue Black

 

For some fun colors:

Diamine Classic Red, Noodler's Apache Sunset, Diamine Steel Blue, BlackStone Red, Green or Blue Cashmere. For something in the purple realm - Blue Cashmere, Akkerman Voorhout Violet, R & K Scabiosa

[amberleadavis]

I've never been able to get Levenger Cobalt to really work for me. I'll confess, I've never used my bottle of Raven black. I gave my bottle of Gemstone green to the highschool pen club, that ink I actually miss.

[Runnin_Ute]

I've never been able to get Levenger Cobalt to really work for me. I'll confess, I've never used my bottle of Raven black. I gave my bottle of Gemstone green to the highschool pen club, that ink I actually miss.

Cobalt was the first bottle of ink I ever finished off. I had two pens at the time - a Al Star and a Phileas. Signed sales tax returns with the blue - over 1600 annually. (quarter- about 200-225; other 8 months of the year about 85 or so a month)

 

I finished off the last of the Raven Black in 2013 - spilling part of it. (bought both in the 90's)

 

Of course, any blue, black or blue black combination fits the professional/serious role doesn't it?

[Miz Black Crow]

Interesting thread. I wonder what was actually bought for said graduate(s)?

 

I suppose I'd want to show the new FPer what the possibilities are, what they can do with FPs they couldn't with roller ball / BPs. My (inexperienced) opinion would be thusly:

 

--Noodler's 54th MA. It washes off of hands easily, is permanent, is EXTREMELY well-behaved, is dark enough for professional use and yet colorful/interesting enough to keep a new user dazzled. The only interesting thing it doesn't do is shade.

--A heavy shading ink, in their favorite color. That could be a Black Swan ink, or one of the Iroshuzuku line, or or or. This depends on the person. Nothing eye-searingly bright, though.

--An ink they would totally not expect, like a nice shading gray, or a sepia/brown, or a red-black ink. (I know *I* never even SAW brown ink use by hand before FPs).

 

I would throw in a nice, inexpensive journal if I had any $ left that has FP-friendly paper (Markings by C R Gibson Moleskine-esque journals are GREAT and cost $10 list / $5 on sale). Give them a use for a pen that isn't for work...